How a $500 Gift Changed Everything with Dave Neal

In this snack-sized episode of Parenting is a Joke, host Ophira Eisenberg sits down with comedian and YouTube creator Dave Neal to talk about balancing fatherhood with content creation, childhood influences, and the struggle of managing screen time for kids. Dave opens up about his mother’s journey as a single parent, how a family friend’s generosity shaped his identity, and what it was like gaining a stepfather at age 12. He also shares his personal battle with sugar addiction, the lessons he’s learned from his childhood, and how they inform his approach to parenting today. Ophira and Dave dig into the generational shift in parenting styles, from yelling households to communication-focused parenting, and debate whether modern kids are missing out on creativity due to constant screen stimulation. Dave also reveals how going viral after his baby was born added unexpected pressure, and why he believes boredom is the secret ingredient to raising imaginative kids. It’s an honest, funny, and thought-provoking look at raising kids in a world of endless distractions. ✨ Subscribe, rate, and review! Follow us on socials @ParentingAsAJoke and @OphiraE (or @OphiraNYC on TikTok). Check out upcoming live performances at OphiraEisenberg.com. 📍 March Shows are in NYC, CT, and Las Vegas! Details at https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com Follow Dave Neal: https://www.instagram.com/dnealz Subscribe to his Youtube: https://youtu.be/0vUxVb3InIo?feature=shared See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events   SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranyc   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices